The Bowl
The Bowl is a unique artifact recovered from an archaeological dig headed by Felix Stiles in Xen'drik. Introduced early in the campaign, very little is known about the artifact despite its importance in the narrative thus far. Construction The bowl's outer construction appears to be a tough, black metal (probably cast iron), but the bowl weighs far less than it "should" and probably has internal constructions of a different material, possibly mithril. Different layers in the bowl's construction can be turned independently (similarly to a Rubik's cube, if it had only one axis), and all are adorned with carvings. These carvings are Abyssal phrases in the Draconic alphabet; though translation is incomplete, at least some of them appear to be religious, and others would function as calendar dates (dependant on the arrangement of each layer). Each layer is turnable with minimal difficulty, but the entire bowl is watertight. The bowl faintly radiates both arcane and divine magical energy. The bowl is clearly ancient even to an untrained eye, but all craftsmanship is nonetheless of impeccable quality. Function Very little is known about the Bowl or its origins; all of the following is conjecture. An analysis of the bowl's lettering, transcribed while still on Xen'drik, suggests that it is intended for use in sacrifical rituals. The Bowl would be filled with water, and the sacrifice submerged and killed. The water would apparently serve as a conduit for the sacrifice's "life energy", which would be retained in the artifact. The calendar setup suggests that specific dates are essential to the ritual. Action The Bowl's history on Xen'drik is not known, but Felix Stiles sent it back ahead of the expedition in secret for fear that such a valuable find would be stolen. The package, addressed to Oskar, was snatched up by Jimmy but in turn stolen by Kueller for leverage in his demands for protection money. After being delivered to Caesar, the Bowl was tracked down by Ray Stukey, who had been hired to track the bowl down and had been misled to believe it was stolen from the expedition. After negotiating the bowl away from Caesar, Ray delivered the artifact to a changeling impersonating Felix Stiles. Later, after realizing their deception, the PCs sought the recovery of the Bowl and its return to its rightful owner. This involved Ray interviewing Felix Stiles and Weld building a miniature replica for study. However, there were no clues to follow up on and the bowl remained at large. The Bowl would finally resurface as the party was at sea, trying to salvage the botched Expedition to the Demon Wastes. Markedly off course and suspecting a traitor in their midst, a sweep for magical items in the ship's hold turned up the Bowl's unusual magical aura. Before the player characters could adequately react to this situation, the ship was sunk, the same changeling apparently intending to use the crew as sacrifices. However, the party succeeded in preventing the submerging of the Bowl as Jovir improvised and defended a makeshift boat. The Bowl is currently in the party's possession. Category:Important Items